Book binding



April 7, 1953 L. J. B. R. FRENCH BOOKBINDING 2 SHEETS- SHEET 1 Filed Dec. 15. 1949 FIG. 2. Il

A I/wnyran. 1c/vel. FRENGN ai 2y. -3/ HalfNrJ April 7, 1953 l.. J. B. R. FRENCH 2,633,582

BooxBINDING Filed Dec. 15, 1949 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 izvrs Patented pr. 7, 1953 BOOK BINDING Lionel John Bryant Rushent French, London, England, assignorr to Book Machinery Company Limited, London, England, a British company Application December 15, 1949, Serial No. 133,166 In Great Britain December 20, 1948 This invention relates to the binding of unsewn books, e. g. paper-wrappered novels and like book productions of the -cheaper type. One object of the present invention is to ensure that the glue which is applied to the back of the assembly of sheets to comprise the book very intimately am'algamates with the back edges of the paper to obtain a iirm attachment of every page in the iinished book without unsightly extrusion of the glue over exposed marginal portions of the sheets adjacent the back edge, and also without noticeable irregular binding together of sheets at such marginal parts. Another object of the present invention is to provide an attachment for ready adaptation to existing machines used in book-binding, one particular form of machine to which the present invention is conveniently Vadaptable being a well known form of book-binding machine usually applied to sewn books. Hence, by means of the present invention it is possible to make use of existing machinery with very little adaptation, and thereby effect considerable economy in maintenance and actual work and equipment. y A still further object of the present invention is to provide a compact and easily manufactured means for appropriately trimming the back edges of the book and which can be operated at very low power consumption and readily attached to and removed from an existing book-binding machine.y

As is well known the usual type of cased book consists of a number of sections folded together, and each sewn through with two or more loops of thread which serve to hold the inner sheets of each section together when the folded edges are trimmed off in the final operation. As the sewing of the sections is a somewhat slow land costly process, it h-as been the custom with cheap books to omit the sewing `and prepare the back suitably for a coat of glue which will hold the sheets rmly enough to provide a short life expected from this type of book.`

The method of producing unsewn bound books -according to the present invention comprises feeding the unbound work translatively to a back gluing stage and subjecting the' back edge of each piece of work during its movement of translation to said stage to ya rapid -succession of material-biting-away actions to removethe material to a depth sufficient to completely destroy back folds, and progressively increasing the depth of bite of each biting away action to completely brillate the back edgeof the work.

By means ofthe present invention the Yback 2 Claims.

edge of each book isbrillated as distinct from being olean-cut'or vclean cut and then slightly roughened, and then the books are coated on their back edges with glue and the back lining then applied.

This iibrillating of the back edges of the book prior to glueing ensures a very intimate application of the glue to the :back edges and a consequent finish to the book which obviates the necessity of nipping or smashing of the dried glue.

The means for preparing the backs of the books for glueing, according to the vpresent invention, comprises -a rotor, a plurality of spaced apart sets of saw teeth carried by and projecting forwardly from said rotor to traverse the back edges of the work substantially diametrically lrelative to the rotor ina plane beyond which the teeth project from the rotor, the teeth of `each set progressively increasing from the leading tooth to the rearmost or trailing end tooth for the amount they project forwardly from said rotor beyond said plane.

In order that the invention mayv be clearly understood and readily carried into eifect, drawings are appended hereto illustrating an embodiment thereof, and wherein,

Figure 1 is a somewhat diagrammatic broken front elevation view showing the invention adapted to yan existing well known book-binding machine.

Figure 2 is a somewhat diagrammatic broken plan view showing the action of the saw-toothed cutting means on the back of the work.

Figure 3 isa detail perspective view to a larger scale :showing a suitable form of sawtoothed cutter, and

1 Figure 4 is a sectional elevation looking endwise of the work and showing details of the back cutting or trimming unit -suitable fora-daptation to an existing book-binding machine.

Referring to the drawings, in Figure 1 theV frame of an existing book-binding machine intended normally for Iuse in the :binding of sewn books is indicated by the reference numeral l, and a part of this machine is a pair of endless conveyors 2 and 3 between the opposite tracks of which are conveyed the successive assemblies of sections forming the books to be bound, each complete set of sections being indicated by the reference Ynumeral 4, the work being fed to the conveyors along any suitable existing guiding means 5. Y

kThe books 4 are conveyed by the conveyor belt 2 and 3 pastaknown form of b ack gluer indi-V 3 cated diagrammatically by the reference numeral '5 and comprising a sprayer and a rotary brush, and then carried into engagement with means, indicated diagrammatically at 'I which glues and attaches the lining strips to the work, in which a thin paper. strip Bacan be applied tothe backs.

of the work andturned slightlyover on to the endpapers of the work. This lining can be pleated along its length by the known form o f. pleating mechansim indicated generally by the reference numeral 8. A glue spray 8 isprovided to coat the strip 8d. This pleating if adopted, would normally be effectedprior to turning the lining over the endpapers.. Following this operation the book can be trimmed leaving the lining ush with the head-taof Ytheifwo'rk, a

subsequent stage in the operation' being theY rounding and backing of the work.

An important feature' of the present invention' isthat, insteadofthe work beingsewn through its sections. prior to receiving the glue at-tliestage 6, its back edge isbrillatedsimultaneously with the removal. of the necessary depth of the folds at the back of the work to exposeas free edges all of thepages of. each and which is readily adapted'for attachmentto the machine frame I; the distinctive feature ofV this unit beingthe form of rotaryA cutterY indicated generally by the reference-numeral Ill,- a suitable construction yof this cutter beingshown in.Figure 3. The cutter III- vcomprises a disc II formed withfour orV other convenient number of equi-angularly spaced f relatively i shallow seg.- mental or. arcuatewebssIZ which-act as vabutments forlafnumberof'strips of saw toothed elements I3v each having saw. teeth' Id'which,V as shown in Figure 3, are progressively steppedup@` wards from'the. leading..end.of. each strip; the arrow'fshown in Figures- 2 `and 3 indicating the directionof rotation offthe-.disc Ilto give an indication as to which is the leading-'end of. eachxstrip. Eachsaw toothed elementi I3". is firmly: gripped'in position: between; the appro: priate arcuate `abutm'ents I2V andthe'arcuate outer endv of one of anum'ber ofsegmentalgrippers ,i I 5 -tted 'iiushagainst the' 'appropriaterace of the disc II and urged againsttherelevant strips I3 by feed screws I6 (see Figure 4) threaded .through nuts-iin the formfof llugs IIintegral' with and'projecting"rromthengrippers |511 The feed screwsfl'can beoperatedby a-tool inserted in: hexagonal. recessesA I8 .1in 1 the -exposed' outer ends; ofthe screws which are vsubstantially ush Withthe periphery of the disc I I;

Thedisc II is iixedon a shaft I9`carriedvin suitable bearings in a-sleevel formed -'int'e'V gral `Vwith a web V-22 and 'a substantially "vertical duct 23which is`flared or progressively increased in diameter downwardly whereit'joinsa housing 24 receiving a fan 25-`to inducea draught inthe duct 23"`sufficient to remove 'fromthe-opr erative lzone vof the `rotary cutterthe bresre= moved from the work 4, it being seen that the" upper or' mouth end of this'` `duct 23' isfjshape'd to. partly :accommodatethe/ lowerportons "or'the" 4 disc Il, and carrying a shroud 23' to screen the rotor I0.

The fan 25 is mounted on a shaft 26 carrying a grooved pulley 21 and driven by a fractional horse power electric motor 28 accommodated in a housing 29 ixed to an annular cap 30 xed in an opening formed in the lower part of a front wall SI which is shaped at its upper end to enclose a pulley 32 xed to the shaft I9, a pair of V belts 33 being passed over the v grooved pulleys 21 and 32.

A bracket. 2i is extended upwards from the sleeve 2I to'se'cure the unit containing the cutter to an overhead part of the machine, and a lateral bracket SI is formed in the wall 3| tolseo'ure the unit to a lower frame of the machine.- l The rotary cutter I0 is driven at a very high speed and by arranging the saw toothed members I3 in substantially the.manner shown-.in Figure' and causingrlthework' Vto be fed-by the'belt 2 and"3"so" thatth'e backs are ina verticalv plane substaritiallyv co-pla'nar with the planeof rotation of .the leading-ends of the saw toothed" members I3; it will' be apparent that not onlyis the back of Athe work cut away. due 'to the' substantially relatively perpendicular displacementof'thework to' the individual blades I3 'butvv it' is" fibrillated duev to the progressively changing bite of the teeth I 'in'to the back ofthe work.` That is to Vsay the foldededg'es of the se'ctionof 'each book are in effect clawed or. bitten away by the downwardly and upwardly moving saw toothed members !3,-'this reverse operationoi` the members I3 counteracting any tendency ofthe pages ofthe work being.. deflected uni-laterally relative to the body of the book.

It will be appreciated that the action or. the saw toothed members IS'is. to removematerial from the back of the book to a :depth corresponding to the complete overhang. ofthe deeper end of each Vsaw tooth Vmember I3 relative to the work, the bite oflthefteeth into the back .edge of the book ina direction.substantially. perpendicular to such edge serving touniforml-y roughenv thebackiso that it isina. propercondition-for the intimate reception. of the glue-which is appliedas theaworkleaves the cutter I -by the backy gluerG,

The fibres removed by the cutter are extracted' along the-.duct 23-V byetheaction of theffan 25 and'conveyedV along-an outlet 34andfduct 35 toa receptacle 38.

1 .n abookbinding machine a-pair of substantially horizontalY endlessconveyors with opposed. tracks .between which-the work is-gripped and .conveyed through the .machine from a -feedinendto-a discharge end,..a glueapplicatorwhicn applies glue to the. exposed back .edges of the work gripped between the said opposedtracks., a rotor between the feed-in endand the/glue appli-y cator, a .horizontalshaft carrying the'rotor and with its axis, normal to `t1ieplane of the back-- edges of the work, a shroud Vsurrounding the periphery; of the rotor, a vplurality .of f spaced .apart distinctivesets of teethprojecting in directions substantially parallel l with said axis Afrom oneface of therotor near its periphery -to operate upon'the'work, the teeth of-eaoh set progres.

sively Hincreasing in their depth of projection from"` the"'rotor 'fr'oni the leading tooth. to the.

trailing'tooth 'of ea'cl'ifset up tira maximurn'depth off penetration" intothe work at'least'equalto that'A required-'to"destroy"compiete1y backflda an opening in the side of the shroud opposed to the conveyors partly exposing the rotor, and a suction conduit extending to and joining said shroud so that the suction inlet is the said opening in the said shroud.

2. In a book binding machine a pair of substantially horizontal endless conveyors with opposed tracks between which the work is gripped and conveyed through the machine from a feed in end to a discharge end, a glue applicator which applies glue to the exposed back edges of the work gripped between the said opposed tracks, a rotor between the feed-in end and the glue applicator, a horizontal .shaft carrying the rotor and with its axis normal to the plane of the back edges of the work, a shroud surrounding the periphery of the rotor, a plurality of spaced apart distinctive sets of teeth projecting in directions substantially parallel with said axis from one face of the rotor near its periphery to operate upon the work, the teeth of each set including a rst tooth which is of lesser depth of projection from REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the ille of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 4273931 Sullivan s.. May 13, 1890 1,988,208 Martin Jan. 15, 1935 2,412,433 Taylor Dec. 10, 1946 

